Protecting Their Own
by actlikesummer
Summary: When the unimaginable happens to Abby on a seemingly-simple case, how will the boys react to seeing their usually upbeat sister broken and scared? Just a short little brotherly-love piece, showing the boys taking care of their sister and protecting her. Set after the pilot, but before Donnie makes up with her.
1. Intro

**A story I thought up a long time ago while writing my longer fic "Somebody to Love Me". If anyone read that and saw my story ideas, this was one of them, though it didn't turn out like I had originally planned!**

**As you can tell by now, for those of you that have read my stories, I really like their brother/sister relationship. So there's a lot of that in here! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Against the Wall' but if I did, it would have gotten another season...which I still want. :(**

* * *

It was dark out, except for the city lights. It was well past three in the morning, yet Abby found herself sitting up in bed, staring at her front door with her service weapon next to her. Every light in the house was on, and she ignored every text and call from her partner, who had been trying to reach her since they left the hospital earlier that evening.

It had been a simple enough case for them. A police officer had been accused of harassing a woman who had refused to go out with him, and when they went to investigate he was clearly guilty of the crime. However, they needed to search his apartment anyway, and while Lina and a few others were searching, he had trapped Abby in a room. They tried to get her out, but by the time they did, the deed had been done and he had jumped out the window.

Shaking her head, Abby tried to rid the horrible memories from her mind.

"_What the hell do you think you're doing?" the officer demanded and Lina smirked._

"_We have a warrant to search your house. Are we going to find Amanda's shirt here, like she says? Because it looks like you have had no problem taking her stuff and harassing her."_

_He growled at her. "You have no right to accuse me of anything!"_

_Abby nodded her head at her partner. "You guys go look around. I'll have a chat with this clown."_

_As they filed out of the front room, Abby stared at him. "Why would you harass her, Carl? You knew that she didn't want to date you, yet you pushed anyway. Haven't you ever heard the expression 'no means no'?"_

_He glared at her. "You bitches in the rat squad don't know anything about this. You better leave it alone."_

"_Well we can't do that. You broke the law, Carl. You're definitely under arrest." She stated and immediately his face went red and he slammed the door behind them, cutting them off from the rest of her team._

_Her heart started beating quickly in her chest and she reached for her gun. Carl knocked the weapon out of her hands and pushed her to the ground, holding her down._

"_Hey, got off of me." She struggled against him. "Lina!"_

_They could hear the rest of the team trying to break the door down, but they were having no luck. Abby heard Lina's voice as she called for help, but the officer wouldn't let her go no matter what happened._

"_How about I show you what I want from that bitch, and then you can decide if I mean business or not, huh?" He whispered in her ear._

_She struggled but it was no use. He was bigger than her and stronger that her, so he got his way. When he was finished forcing himself on her, he hurried up and climbed out the window, just in time for Lina and her backup to break through the door._

"_Officer Carl Roberts is under arrest and fleeing the scene. He attacked an officer and may be armed. We need backup and an ambulance." Lina ordered into her radio before kneeling down by Abby._

"_Abby…" She said quietly._

_Abby shook her head. "He…he…"_

_Lina nodded. "I know. We're going to get you some help, okay?"_

_Abby just stared at her, silent tears falling down her cheeks and held her friend's hand._

Abby leapt off her bed, her hand wrapped tightly around her gun, as a loud banging came from her front door. Her heart hammered in her chest as she inched closer and the banging continued.

"Abby, it's me. Open up!"

Her heart slowly came out of her throat and she swallowed it quickly as she hid her gun. A moment later she opened the door, and sighed.

"Richie."


	2. Chapter 1

Richie stared at his sister as she opened the door. Every light was on in her apartment and she was pale and shaking. She had bruises on her arms.

"Richie." She said and her voice gave away the fear she was trying to hide.

He stepped forward to hug her but she flinched and stepped back. He instantly stopped and cursed silently. "Lina called me. She's worried about you."

"What? Did she say…"

"She said you had a tough case today and that the guy knocked you around. Are you okay?" He watched her carefully as she looked at him with a wide-eyed, scared expression. Like an innocent doe caught in the headlights.

As Abby looked at him, all she could see was the face of the man that had taken her sense of independence away and filled her with fear. She could perfectly see his cold, dark eyes piercing her own and the feel of his hands on her in places that she wished she could have protected better. As her breathing picked up, however, the voice that spoke didn't match the image.

"Abs? Abby, what's wrong? Abby talk to me."

As the image of her attacker slowly cleared from her eyes, the comforting sight of her brother replaced it. He stared at her with concern and warmth that had tears forming in the back of her eyes and a lump in her throat that wouldn't go away.

Suddenly, as if involuntarily, she gave in to the feeling of pain and fear. She hadn't wanted anyone to see her this way, but Richie was talking to her so softly and looking at her with such concern and love that she knew she couldn't hold it in any longer. The sob erupted from her throat and her eyes clenched tightly as she leaned forward, resting her head against his chest.

Immediately his arm came around her and she gripped his shirt in her fist tightly. She didn't hear what he was whispering to her, but as her breathing and sobs picked up, he led to her to the couch to calm her down.

"Talk to me Abs. What happened today?" He asked quietly once her cries had subsided a little.

She looked at him and wondered how she was supposed to tell him that she was too weak and too scared to use the defense moves she had been taught by the closest men in her life. What would they think of her once they knew what he had done?

"Abby…"

"I…I couldn't….I couldn't fight him off and…and now he's out there and I know he's going to come for me and-"

"Abby, shh, you're rambling." Richie interrupted her. "What do you mean you couldn't fight him off?"

For the first time that night, their eyes connected in understanding and he immediately knew what had happened. They were close, so it didn't take more than a look to tell him exactly how badly his sister had been hurt.

"Oh my God." He breathed out.

"Don't tell Mom and Dad." She said almost hysterically. "Please."

"Abby, they need to know." He exclaimed.

She shook her head. "No! It will break their hearts and they'll try to fly back here but I don't want them to and…"

He nodded and held her hands in his own. "Okay, I won't tell them…for now." He paused. "What about Donnie and Steve? You're clearly freaked out and with that guy still out there, having us here will keep you safe."

"Donnie's still mad at me…he's going to be so mad at me." She murmured and Richie worried that he was losing her now.

"What? Abby what are you talking about?"

She shook her head slowly. "He taught me to fight…to defend myself. I couldn't do it." She paused. "He's already so mad at me for joining IA."

"Abby, this is not your fault. You did nothing wrong."

She didn't respond and curled into herself on the couch. Richie took the blanket she had draped over the back of it and covered her, before standing and walking into the kitchen to get her some water. Pulling out his phone, he decided on calling the calmer brother first.

"Richie do you know what time it is? It's three o'clock in the goddamn morning." Steve's voice slurred on the other end of the line.

"It's Abby."

There was silence but Richie could hear his brother moving out of his bedroom to let Gail sleep in peace. He heard another door shut before Steve spoke again. "What happened?"

"She…" He trailed off, knowing that this wasn't something you told someone over the phone. "It's the case she was working. Just…get over here. Now."

"I'm on my way."

The line went dead and Richie sighed as he knew the Donnie would be harder to convince. He wasn't too surprised when the first thing out of his brother's mouth was a string of curse words.

"Donnie shut up. You need to come over to Abby's place." He said outright, wanting to hurry so that he could go sit with his sister.

"Yeah, right. She went against this family by joining IA, Richie. There's no way I'm coming over there to sit around and drink beer, pretending she didn't do anything wrong." He barked out and Richie rolled his eyes.

"Donnie…the case she was working today, it-" He tried to ease him into a reason but Donnie cut him off.

"I don't want to hear about the cops that she put away today, okay? If you forgot, she investigates us, Richie. Cops. Her own. I'm surprised you sat round and listened to her tell you about all of the brothers and sister in uniform that she put away."

"Donnie!" He shouted and saw Abby jump in fear on the couch. "It's okay, I'm sorry I shouted. You're okay." He said to her quietly, noting that Donnie had gone silent.

"What was that? Who were you talking to?" Donnie asked more quietly this time, his voice sounding a little worried.

Richie hesitated. "Abby's hurt. Badly. You need to get over here. Steve's already on his way."

Donnie didn't respond, but hung up, so Richie walked back to his sister and handed her the glass. "Drink some of this."

She sipped slowly, and Richie noticed how her hands shook so badly that she had to hold the glass with both hands. She nodded at him in thanks.

"The guys are on their way over. They should be here soon." He told her and she once again used body language to convey her thanks instead of words.


	3. Chapter 2

The first thing Steve and Donnie noticed when they arrived at their sister's apartment was the sad look in their brother's eyes when he opened the door. It only took them a second longer to see their usually strong sister curled up on her couch, shaking and pale, with bruises on her skin.

"What happened?" Steve asked Richie quietly, but his brother just nodded towards her.

The second they had cleared the door, Richie glanced outside before locking it tightly. This confused the two older boys, but they didn't comment on it.

"Abby?" Richie asked quietly. "The guys are here."

She looked at them, as if just noticing their presence, but didn't react or speak. Steve and Donnie turned to look at Richie again, who shrugged. "She hasn't said a word since just before I called you."

"He's still out there."

Three pairs of eyes turned on her and she shrunk down again. "What?"

"What happened, Abby?" Steve asked softly and tears filled her eyes again, so she looked helplessly at Richie.

Swallowing the lump that had grown in his own throat, Richie sighed. "She, uh…was investigating this guy and he trapped her in a room, and uh…"

He didn't need to continue as the expressions on their faces showed their understanding. Immediately, Steve sat next to her. "Abby?"

"I'm sorry." She said again as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"What?" Donnie asked, confused, as he tried to hold back tears.

He'd always tried to protect her, and now because he hadn't spoken to her for a few weeks, he hadn't been there when she needed him the most.

"She thinks you're mad at her." Richie said to him. "She thinks you're angry because she couldn't defend herself like you taught her to. It's the only thing she's said about it."

"Oh, Abby." Donnie shook his head. "It's not your fault."

"I couldn't stop him. I tried…but…" She trailed off and gripped Steve's hand tightly.

Suddenly, her cell phone went off again and they all turned toward the sound. Donnie waved, indicating that he'd grab it from her bed, and when he handed it to her, she froze.

"Hello?"

"You think that just because they're all looking for me, they're going to catch me? Well good luck, because they aren't going to find me. Or you, once I'm through with you."

Her face went pale and she barely registered the phone being pulled out of her hands, or the way Steve was trying to get her to breathe again.

"Listen to me, you shit face. Stay away from my sister or you'll regret the day you were born, do you hear me? We're going to catch you and you're going to pay."

Donnie hung up as Richie called back Lina's number from earlier. Then they watched as Steve tried and failed to get her to calm down.

…

Donnie's heart broke as he stood at her counter, staring at his sister. They'd finally gotten her to calm down and fall asleep, with Steve never leaving her side, but it was a restless sleep that she wouldn't stay in very long, he knew.

"Why her?"

Richie looked at him and shrugged. "I wish I knew."

He scoffed. "What the hell good is it that we're cops if we can't even protect our own sister?" He paused. "I was so mad at her…and now I can't even remember what that feels like."

Richie nodded. "I can't remember what anything feels like right now, except for how I felt when she looked at me. She just…the look in her eyes when she finally looked at me was…heartbreaking. She didn't even need to tell me, I just knew." He paused. "Donnie look at her. How is she going to come back from this?"

Donnie had no words of comfort or reassurance for his little brother, though he felt like he should have tried. Their lives had been ripped apart in the span of an hour and now none of them knew if they were ever going to get their vibrant, clumsy, loving sister back.

"She doesn't want Mom and Dad to know." Richie remembered. "She made me promise not to tell them."

Donnie turned on him, his expression showing shock. "Richie they can't be kept in the dark about this! Abby's their daughter…they deserve to know."

He nodded. "That's what I told her, but she doesn't want them to know." He looked over at her. "I think she's scared of the reactions and the way we'll all treat her now that we know."

"You know I've responded to cases like this before and every time the person looked so broken." Donnie looked down at his hands. "I never imagined we'd be doing this off duty, too."

Neither spoke again for a bit, but met Steve's eye from across the room and knew he was thinking exactly what they were.


	4. Chapter 3

It had been a long night for the siblings as they watched their sister fidget and toss in her sleep. Not one of the boys had been able to sleep, as every time they closed their eyes or blinked, they pictured her laying there helpless and scared as the cop attacked her.

Most of the night was filled with silence, as no one knew exactly what to say. It seemed as though once her story was out, there wasn't much left to discuss. Now they just focused on being there in case she needed something or in case he came around looking for her.

The sun was just rising over the clouds as Abby's eyes opened, though she still looked extremely tired. Looking around, she saw her brothers sitting in her kitchen eating, and slowly stood to join them.

"Hey." Steve said quietly when he noticed her, and sent her a small smile. "We made breakfast." She gave him a look and he shrugged. "Okay, I made breakfast. At least we know it's edible."

"Hey." Richie and Donnie protested at the same time, and nobody commented on the smile that graced her face for a moment.

"You should eat." Donnie told her.

She nodded and sat next to him at the table. Steve set a plate of eggs in front of her, but she stared at it the same way she had been doing a few hours before. She missed the look the boys shared, and sighed.

"I don't have an appetite." She stated, and looked up at them. "For the first time in my life, I don't have an appetite."

Donnie rubbed her shoulder and she flinched until she realized that it was just her brother, and not the creep who had hurt her. "It's going to be okay, Abby."

"How can you say that?" She looked up at him, her eyes hard. "How can anything be okay again?"

"Because you're you. You're strong and resilient and you will beat this." Richie told her.

"And until you feel that way again, we'll be here for you. Whatever you need, we'll be here." Steve reassured her and she felt her heart lift a little at their words.

At the sound of Abby's phone ringing again, everyone jumped. Abby grabbed it and sighed. "Hey Lina."

"_Abby, listen, are the boys still there?"_

"Yeah, why?"

"_A patrol cop just saw Carl enter your building. We're on our way, but be prepared. He found you."_

Abby's heart started beating erratically again and she looked at her brothers, the phone falling from her hand. Immediately she leapt up and gripped the gun out in front of her.

"Abby what happened?" Richie asked quickly, though he figured he knew the answer.

"He's here."

Suddenly the lock on her door broke, and the door slid open quickly. "I told you I'd find you."

What happened next happened so quickly that Abby almost missed it. There was a lot of movement as Donnie and Richie rushed forward to tackle the guy to the ground and Steve stepped in front of her to shield her from him in case he got past them.

He grabbed her gun from her, quickly muttering, "You're in no condition to shoot a gun."

They watched for several moments as Donnie and Richie fought him, eventually winning the fight. There is no one stronger than a brother trying to protect his sister…unless there are two of them. They stayed on top of him as loud sirens filled the air, in order to keep him from getting away, and showing Abby that he wasn't going to hurt her again.

They may not have been able to protect her the first time, but they sure as hell could do it now.

…

It wasn't until later, after Lina had hauled the guy from her apartment and their statements had been given, that they finally saw Abby relax for the first time since they'd arrived the night before. They were sitting on her roof, watching the sun come up and it was the first time a smile had really graced her face since it had happened.

"So what happens now?" She asked and looked at them.

Richie shrugged. "I don't know. I figured we'd just sit here for a while and keep you company. Is that okay with you?"

She turned to look at Donnie. "I don't know, it depends."

Donnie sighed and shook his head. "Listen…I know I've been mad at you for what you did. But if there are really cops out there like him, doing things like that to people, then I want you in IA busting them and keeping them from hurting anybody else." He paused. "After tonight…I don't think I can really be mad at you anymore."

She smiled at him as Steve spoke. "Who's turning into Dr. Phil, now?"

They laughed as Donnie through a pillow at him and they thought, finally, things could go back to normal.

One thing was for sure. They were a family. And they protect their own.


End file.
